Animal Classification

how many different types of animal are there in the world?

Jan 27, 2007 John Blatchford

We often think of animals as if there were only two main types, those with backbones (the vertebrates), and those without (the invertebrates). Nothing could be further from the truth! All zoologists agree that ‘Animals’ are best divided into groups, of equal status, called ‘Phyla’. Exactly how many ‘Phyla’ there are is still a matter of debate, but there are certainly more than 35. The vertebrates are all placed together in one sub-phylum, but the group that we generally know as the invertebrates actually represent 97% of all animals, in all the other phyla.

Insects are simply one of 16 or more classes within the phylum arthropoda. (You can find an excellent 'clickable' guide to American arthropods here.) Other invertebrates would include such diverse creatures as; the squid and cowries - (mollusca), the starfish (echinodermata), the earthworm (annelida), the jellyfish (coelenterata), the sponges (porifera), and about 30 other phyla. (Remember – each phylum is of equal value, taxonomically speaking!).

Here, in the 'Fish and Insects' section on Suite101 my articles will be categorised as insects (more species than all the other animals species put together!), other invertebrates (the rest of the invertebrates), and fish.

The category ‘fish&insects-general’ will be restricted to articles that do not concern particular groups (for example some of the Big Ideas like Evolution, Disease Vectors, Anthropomorphism and Human Effects on the environment.)

‘Reptiles and Amphibians’, the ‘Birds’ and the ‘Mammals’ have their own sections.

So – here is how ‘animals’ are grouped on Suite101:

• Fish&insects - see below.

• Reptiles and Amphibians. e.g. (French Frogs and Toads and Snakes.)

• Birds. e.g. (Blue Tits and the Hoopoe.)

• Mammals. e.g. (Red Squirrels and French Martens.)

And then there are other sections which deal with animals in special contexts:

Cats.

Dogs.

Horses.

Pet Care.

Wildlife Preservation.

The 'Fish and Insects' section is divided into:

• Fish&insects (general) - for topics of general interest about things Biological and for topics which span the sub-sections such as: Coral Reefs and Blood-suckers.

• Fish - such as Grayling, the Humming Toadfish, Reef Aquaria and Coelacanths.

• Insects - such as the Harlequin Ladybird, the Tiger Mosquito, Cat Fleas and the Kissing Bugs.

• Other Invertebrates - such as Dog Ticks, Mantis Shrimps, Cowries and Woodlice.

'Fish and Insects' blogs will be used to explain how various articles are related, and to express my personal views on subjects, while my articles will concentrate on individual species or groups of animals, with the occasional more general topic such as evolution.

See also: Invertebrate Classification

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